Columbia, SC – The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), an international accreditor of human service agencies, has awarded Columbia Area Mental Health Center (CAMHC) a three-year accreditation for its Community Integration, Supported Living, Outpatient Treatment (adults), Outpatient Treatment (children and adolescents), Crisis Intervention (adults), and Crisis Intervention (children and adolescents) programs. The latest accreditation is the fifth consecutive three-year accreditation that CARF has awarded the center.

CAMHC provides services to adults with severe and persistent mental illness, children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbance and their families, and persons experiencing psychiatric emergencies. In fiscal year 2010, the center served 7,076 clients, 1,579 of whom were children.

“CAMHC staff is dedicated to the treatment and well being of our clients with serious mental illness,” said Executive Director Bob Bank, M.D. “Every day our clinicians accomplish amazing outcomes with limited resources. We are especially proud that so many areas of our care delivery met the rigorous standards of the national certification. It is a testament to the high quality of services and remarkable dedication of every worker at Columbia Area.”

CARF International, an independent, nonprofit accreditor of human service providers, credentials more than 5,900 providers in over 19,000 locations. CARF-accredited providers serve more than 8.3 million people of all ages each year.

The South Carolina Department of Mental Health’s mission is to support the recovery of people with mental illnesses, giving priority to adults with serious and persistent mental illness and to children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances. The Agency serves approximately 102,000 citizens, including 33,000 children and adolescents and provides outpatient services through a network of seventeen community mental health centers and numerous clinics. It also operates four hospitals, one community nursing care center, and three veterans’ nursing homes.